chama

C3H4A1M3A1
/ˈtʃɑːmə/

noun

Any of several types of informal cooperative society.

OriginSwahili chama →
UncommonScrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounchama (plural chamas)

plural chamas

  1. AfricaEastKenyaAny of several types of informal cooperative society.
    1. AfricaEastKenyaoftenSuch a group for pooling and investing savings.

Origin

  1. Swahilichama
  2. Swahilichama
  3. Englishchama

Borrowed from Swahili chama (“organisation, society”).

More words from Swahili

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

macha
Cite this entry
APA

chama. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chama

MLA

“chama.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chama. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chama,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chama.

Source: chama on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.